The Prank
by timelucked
Summary: Re-edit Sousuke is Sergeant Stupid per usual. He takes things too far. But Kaname can't help the way he makes her feel. She also can't help the Payback Prank formulating in her devious mind.


~The Prank~

**A/N: Hey there! This is a Fanfic that is **_**all **_**about Sousuke and Kaname, tch, of course. This is kinda, sorta funny. This has them going about their usual day, except this has them going through romance, anger, and hilarity all in one jumble of emotions. I hope you will enjoy this as much as I have enjoyed writing it!**

**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! This is all mad by the handiwork of the glorious Shouji Gatou! I seriously own nothing…not a penny to my 14 – soon to be 15 – years of life. Tch…I want Chanukah to come…(Even though I am an Atheist, I still partake in the religious festivities!)**

* * *

Sousuke stood tall, still as a statue – or in the case that they could _possibly_ be in a Manga, a ninja. The ultimate sentinel. He was standing outside Kaname Chidori's apartment door, waiting to see her off to school.

It was taking a bit longer than usual, hmmm…_suspicious. _Sousuke cocked his gun into a ready-fire position, rapped on the door three times and waited. His ear was tightly – and uncomfortably, mind you – pressed against the door. He heard a heavy sigh on the other side as the it swung open. He felt air whiz past his face and blow through his hair as he stumbled through, into her apartment. He had been very close to landing on a non-too happy Ms. Chidori, before righting himself. She placed her hands on her hips as Sousuke shot up into a resolute Attention stance. Sarcastically she said, "At ease, Soldier," He complied to the order, nonetheless. She rolled her brown eyes and stepped back.

She turned on her heels with a speculative look in her eyes. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed her swishing hand. She sucked in a startled breath and quickly spun around to face him. "What, I can't even get my shoes, now?" she said, going for an angry tone yet coming out with a much weaker response. Sousuke spoke urgently, eyes fixed on her. "Is there something – anything – wrong? _Please_, tell me, if that is the case!"

_Whoa…Sousuke looks…well, _hot! Kaname thought with a bizarre sense of an oncoming epiphany. She blushed a deep shade of pinkish-red, pushed all thoughts of Sousuke out of her scatter-brained head, and turned away again. He didn't stop her. "I'm looking for my glove." She said walking around her living room area.

Blank comprehension filtered through Sousuke's usually well kept mask of neutrality. "I-I'm sorry?" He spoke, eyebrows furrowed, wondering what on _earth_ she could possibly be talking about. She stomped her foot angrily, seething about her stupidity of losing her glove and looking for it so late in the morning. "My glove…we have Baseball practice today." She stated, twisting her head side to side in a vain attempt to look for the missing ball game utensil. _Oh…_ "Would you like me to assist you in your search?" Kaname looked at him for a few seconds, really seeing him there, and gave a small smile. "That would be nice, yeah."

A lingering warmth filled Sousuke's chest. He placed a hand over the approximated region where his heart was. A smile, much like the one Kaname had graced him with, slowly crept to his lips as he began his hunt for the leather bound bundle. Maybe if he had all the necessary information this could go better. He had a vague picture in his mind as to what a baseball glove looked like…but it was still _vague_. What with never having used one, or play a game - if ever he played - that required one.

He pushed that out of his mind and continued on his mini trek. He crawled on all fours, looking under her couch, the table, and her bed. Nothing. Nothing out of the ordinary, save for a sock or scrap paper, here and there. He sighed and stood up, stretching his leg muscles. He walked over to the little kitchenette, where there seemed to be a sudden commotion occurring. Shaking his shaggy, yet non-messy, hair he apologized, "I'm sorry, Chidori-san. I can't seem to fi—"Sousuke's eyes bugged out. "…my _GOD_!!! What on earth are you DOING?" He bellowed.

Kaname was standing on a pile of teetering/tottering phone books, which were haphazardly placed on a not-so sturdy stool. One foot was promptly set on her granite cabinet and the other placed on the makeshift ladder. She was reaching, searching, on top of the refrigerator. Her hands roaming about, hitting the wall now and then. Sousuke let out a breath he had no idea he held. "Kaname, I have a sneaking suspicion that you will not come down unless you have concluded your…_reconnaissance_ mission. But do try, _try_, to be careful."

She looked down at him, a strange mixture of emotions churning in her eyes. Some of them Sousuke couldn't quite read, with all things considered, he had come a long way from being a complete clueless, obtuse – not to mention _dense_- being to a compassionate and, shockingly enough, caring person. Kaname could feel the warmth and protection, for her sake, that came off of him in waves of…_love_? Hmmm…

She shook off those feelings, looking towards the mission at hand. _Wow_, she has spent _way_ too much time with Captain Clueless-about-feelings-and-normal-other-emotions. And yet…it was _never_ enough.

Sousuke started anxiously pacing the area surrounding his blue-haired protectee. He looked much like a shark, encircling its prey until the very end. He looked up to find himself staring at her long, muscularly athletic legs. This made him have a short spurt of unwanted fantasies, which he forcefully pushed into a deep, dark, dank crevice in his mind. Kaname, who was still ruthlessly searching, did not know of Sousuke's inner turmoils.

It was now cutting close to the time she normally left. She thought that if worse came to worst, she would just have to borrow somebody's glove. She mentally groaned. What kind of a role model would she be if she forgot a simple thing like a glove? Not a very good one. She was Vice President of the Student Body and Council for Pete's Sake.

Her hand hit something rough and she grabbed onto it. _Finally_, with a whoop and a holler, Kaname yelled down to him, "Got it!" She snatched her pest-of-a-leather-asset and shot her hand in the air, in success. The sheer force of her shouting, shook the books as one-by-one, they toppled over. Sousuke, in that second, couldn't help but muse that it looked quite a bit like the game he played on base with Kurz on their off-duty time: Jenga, the all around American "have a good time" game.

Acting on instinct, Sousuke propelled himself forward – shooting like a rocket, or in his case a _General Electric RTV-G-3/RV-A-3 Hermes II --- SSM-A-16_ missile – positioned his feet shoulder-length apart, brought his arms up and waited. This all took about, 2, maybe 3, seconds for the militant eccentric _Otaku_.

As if in slow motion, Kaname came down, in a whoosh of air and paper, into the waiting arms of her very own loyal bodyguard. He caught her as if she were as light as the wind itself. She idly wondered where he got such strength, even if he was brought up by War, it still amazed her. Hugging her frozen, stock-still body close, ensuring her safety. He kneeled down and bent his body around hers, so as not to get her hit in the head by, say, a flying phone book! His steady breathing, out of synch with her own erratic huffs, was tickling her nose and cheeks. She could smell his, what, after-shave? It smelled like the Old Spice stuff her Father used back in America. _That's how close they were to one another!? _

After the sound of hailing books died away, Sousuke,whom was clearly relieved, rested his forehead on hers. They were cheek-to-cheek as he whispered in her ear, "You're _crazy_," She looked up at him skeptically, considering he was known to be the wild-bomb-crazy-trigger-happy poster child of war-mongers _everywhere_. She reconciled his statement with a semi-sarcastic, "Yeah? You're not so bad, yourself,"

He inwardly smirked, sensing the normal Kaname would soon come out of its shell-shocked…shell. Then, too soon for her liking, he straightened up and walked out of the disarray - that was once referred to as a kitchenette - and into her still-intact living room space. Neither noticed that he was still holding onto her and that she was held tightly, and securely, in his arms. She braced herself against his chest, feeling his warm body underneath the traditional Jindai High school uniform. She liked being this close to him, it felt…_complete_, somehow.

Sousuke looked down at the High School girl in his arms, shocked. He set her down, stuttering something incoherent and unintelligible. Blushing, he coughed into his right hand and looked away, to the side, as if suddenly entranced by the beige, plaster wall. She blushed too and giggled awkwardly. This was _not _the part she enjoyed of their closeness; the awkward, tension-filled, moments.

He gave her a small, sheepish smile and an almost non-existent chuckle. If it reached his eyes, she couldn't tell. He was still embarrassed and looking away. He ran a hand through his charcoal-colored locks, looking back at her. As his hair fell stubbornly back into its usual place, Kaname had the strongest, and strangest, urge to ruffle it. It looked so soft! _I wonder what shampoo—_ She began to think. _Argh. What does that matter? _

Involuntarily, she stepped forward, closer to her faithful soldier. She _consciously_ realized she was inching closer and closer and quickly drew back. Sousuke's usually impassive face gave way to a smirk and a funny look on his part. Yet, he had a strange gleam in his steel-grey eyes. She felt weird when he stared at her, especially like that. But she also felt_ so _much more. Sousuke saw the change in her eyes and took a cautious step forward. More fantasies raged behind his minds eye which he ignored with good grace – that good grace being pulverizing them into little itty-bitty dust fragments of dreams. He squelched enough of them to continue on. He focused only on the beautiful girl in front of him.

He was standing right before her and she looked up at him through her bangs. He gently gripped her arms; which he was rewarded with by the excruciatingly simple impulse to pull her close, yet as the good veteran warrior he was, he also squelched that burning desire. Instead of doing as he wished, and longed, to do he settled with murmuring a phrase in her ear.

"It is now the approximate time that we should depart, _Madam_."

Breathless at how close his proximity was _now_ – though happy he made the move to fill in the cold, empty void between them – Kaname jokingly replied with a weak, "Affirmative." She gave him a feeble salute and let that arm sag to her side. There was humor buried in his eyes as Sousuke outright laughed at Kaname's imitation of him. He straightened up, making sure his posture was corrected and not slouched – lord knows what LTC. Kalinnin would have done to him if he slouched. _Shudder. _He thought _Budakshan Tiger _was strict...not even close. LTC. Kalinnin made him look like the tooth fairy...and Com. _Mardukas..._don't even want to go into the limb-by-limb procedure Sousuke would have to endure with Mardukas..._Convulsion._

Kaname suddenly got lost and wrapped up in her own thoughts. Sousuke had such a light laugh. _Who'd have thought!_ His laugh sounded so nice, she took a mental video of him laughing and stored it away in the 'keepsake' storage area of her brain. Kaname knew what her goal for the week – and more times to come – would be. Mission Objective: Get Sergeant Sagara to laugh a helluva lot more. She knew, now, just what to do to make him feel better.

Sousuke's eyes shone with humor and delight still. That whole event seemed to lighten everything, considerably. The heavy burden on his heart and shoulders felt lifted, ever so slightly, for the time being.

Sousuke smiled again, for the umpteenth time and, uncharacteristically bold, reached for her hand and towed her to the door, snatching her school pack on the way. He slung the leather pouch over his broad shoulders and proceeded to exit her chaotic house.

He faced forward and could not see the expression Kaname wore on her face. All she did, or could do, was gape at their entwined hands, their fingers lacing around each other perfectly. Her smaller hand molding to his bigger one. Likewise, she couldn't see his grinning, triumphant face. _Take _that_ Tsubaki!!!_ His tone held a smug note in it. She was blushing furiously and he was shocked that he did not break out into a sweat, which normally occurs when he is with Kaname. Seems he felt more at ease, this time. She loved the feel of his hands, firm but with just enough softness to want to hold it more. She found it funny that the Militant Eccentric had such soft hands…his hands were actually as soft as his personality had become.

Kaname would like to think that she was softening up this poor boy's nature with her charm and eloquence. …_not!_ She did wish that she had taken some part of letting loose the floodgates of emotions spewing out him, Note: at random intervals. If she _was _a part of it, she would love to keep doing it for a long time. A _l__ong_ time. Like, _years_, long. The look on his face said he felt the same way. They walked down the cement stairs – Sousuke had an affinity to elevators…something about how "terrorists could easily hi-jack an airplane so an elevator would be no problem," or "Amalgam could easily hack into the computers mainboard - motherboard - and shut down the easy transportation, making us plummet to our death…". Something along those gruesome lines.

Sousuke watched every nook and cranny, every shadow that caught his peripheral view, any of the _slightest_ movements, for a sign of a threat. His military training served him well in these kinds of high-stress situations. If only his training could help him with certain other _situations_, mainly the ones with Kaname.

Like the time, not a few minutes back, that he had held her without noticing, he was unaware of them being hand-in-hand. Kaname was far from being unaware. She was the polar opposite of that. Every nerve in her hand seemed to have had its ends and tips cut off, making every touch a new and stinging sensation. It was a good stinging, a kind she did _not _want to go away, anytime soon. Her face felt hot when she squeezed his hand affectionately. His head shot down, his neck making a _snap_ping noise, to his hand. He stared for a few seconds then shrugged flippantly, returning the pressure sweetly. He stared, and moved, ahead as Kaname giggled happily.

There was a strong bond – much stronger than guard to protectee, should ever be – being forged, just by the simple fact that the two strange combinations of human existence came together, to work as one. Like an A.S. and its Pilot. In this case-scenario, Sousuke no longer remained the veteran Pilot but the toy in which Kaname steered. _She _was more than happy to do so. _He _was pretty much indifferent, so long as he was near her.

Once the two made it outside, cool, crisp morning air awaited and wished to blast their faces. When the wind stopped its little hurricane charade, Sousuke automatically tensed, sensing danger _everywhere_, and moved his hand – the free one – to the holster, which carried his 9mm Glock, by his hip. He stiffened against the vulnerably open space, provided in part by the _Maison K_ apartment complexes parking lot, just as his brute training, combat classes had drilled into him.

Kaname marveled at his inner strength, might, and awesomely fierce determination. Determination to protect. Her. That thought process made her feel good and whole inside.

She shivered slightly, involuntary bodily function she couldn't control. Sousuke stopped and looked back at her quizzically. He turned to face her full-on and let go. The emptiness stung her, used-to-be, warm and not-so-lonely, hand. He began to undress the top layer of his uniform. Kaname was puzzled until he stuck his coat in front of her face, silently asking her to take it. She nodded her thanks and he came behind. He gently placed it over her shoulders. Pulling her arms through, she enjoyed the warmth his shirt brought and reveling in his scent. Was he wearing _cologne_? What need would he have for cologne?

He smelled of gun powder, cleaning oil and gun resolution, mint, and…Old Spice! So, maybe he _was_ wearing cologne/after-shave. If he _was_ wearing cologne, it smelled good. _Too _good.

The jacket fit nicely around her as Sousuke smoothed it out over her curvy form. Being a man, Sousuke _would_ have manly reactions to being around any woman, let alone a gorgeous, model-looking one. His hands lingered on her hips. She leaned back against him, letting him support the majority of her weight. He had not intended things to go this far and escalate this quickly, not saying he wasn't _enjoying_ himself...this was just..._different._ Letting his emotions take control and command his every movement, Sousuke let his body work on its own. His hands were slowly snaking along her midriff until they retracted with lightning speed. She looked back at him. His eyes were looking everywhere, but at hers, not really making contact with one spot for too long. Not knowing what came over him or how to properly proceed.

She felt…_hurt_, perhaps, as he loped along in front of her, face expressionless. Sousuke was silently, and mentally, berating himself with thoughts like, _This is _not_ what my job description entails_, or, _Falling in lo – liking! a subject is a no-go,_ or, _Hmmmm, i bet __Kurz would be so Prou–Arrrrgh!_, etc. Kaname resolved to ignore Captain Clueless, for his prior mistake of _completely_ leading her on and then walking away. _Nobody _does that and gets away with it. They don't call her the "Prettiest girl you'd _never_ want to date" for nothing. True, she led him on to but…I mean….Hmph!

* * *

Their romantic interlude came to an end as their remaining walk continued in a tension-filled silence. When they got to their destination, the miraculous Jindai High School, Sousuke stopped on the pavement in front of the lawn. He began to _try_ and explain himself. "K-Kaname –" "Save it." She snapped harshly, making the **S**pecial **R**esponse **T**eam hired soldier flinch, and walked away, without so much as a single glance back. How could she have scolded him for _trying _to sort out his mixed-up, mashed-up feelings. Her pony-tail bobbed along behind as she got lost in the crowd of friends and a sea of unruly, teenage hormonal, bodies. Much like his own had recently become. God, _she_ was doing this to him. He didn't mind it...but again, it felt _different._ "As you wish…" He mumbled lamely, to no one in particular. He sighed and with purposeful steps, followed in Kaname's wake…at a _safe_ – Safe meaning away from Harisen range – distance. _How could this day have gotten so out of hand?_ He thought numbly. _Why? It was going, contrary to normal, quite well!!! God, if you are out there, _please_ tell me how to…make me a better suitor for her lo-lo- Ah, forget it._

Everything _had_ been fine – perfect, even – until he had done whatever he did that, obviously, upset her. He was bumping into a lot of people but, due to the fact that he was immersed, and subdued, in his own inner contemplation and turmoil's, did not notice or care. That was until an elbow locked firmly into place under his chin and his head came, sharply, in contact with the plaster wall behind.

Kaname sensed a lack and absence of jerk presence. She turned back and the emotion _appall _registered with perfect clarity on her face. The image portrayed in front of her would – and should – have never happened. Ever. He was a _military _trained combatant, he's _killed_ people, he's – he's a dumbass, yes but…no-no-no-no…

All she saw was a large crowd, encircling two people of her own student body. A large boy – Takuzuma Renji whom, by the looks of things, wasn't _just_ big-boned – and Sousuke were in the center. Sousuke death glared the sophomore boy, as he was being throttled with one beefy hand, the other bunched into a fist behind Takuzuma's head. He was going to _hit_ Sousuke! Like, _hit, _hit him. True, she wanted to wring his scrawny, little neck at this moment, too, but she didn't want to see him _seriously _hurt…good God, no!

Sousuke tilted his head and caught sight of Kaname's fear-struck face. That was all he needed to carry out his escape, evasive maneuver. Kaname saw that his face changed into fierce determination. On the rare breaths he got, Sousuke huffed heavily. Takuzuma steadied his hand and bellowed, "Why the _Hell_ can't anyone give me a friggin' break today??? Dude, have some damn consideration! My…my girlfriend just broke up with me!" _Hmmm, kind of like what happened to Kaname and me, this fateful morning._

Takuzuma leveled his fist too perfection as all around the two screams, shouts, and chants spoke, "Fight, Fight!" Where was Hayashimuzu-Sempai when we needed him most! Sousuke cast one last lingering glance at Kaname, he face was…_apologetic_? Huh?

Out of nowhere, his foot shot up, bending back much farther than any man should be capable of – almost 180 degrees, and hit squarely in the broad chest of Takuzuma-san. He had obviously been trained in the Brazilian combat style, Capoeira. The 200-something pound student flew into the adjacent wall as Sousuke's hand whipped inside his chest. He dashed over to Kaname, grabbed her, and flung her – fire-fighting style – onto his shoulder, roughly. None of the other students had a moments spare to think, _What the hell is going on, _now_!?_

"What in the seven hells are you –"she was abruptly cut off when Sousuke raised his hand high in the air, right above his head. There, being crushed in his palm was something that suspiciously looked like an "apple" hand grenade. Before she could cry out her choked disapproval, he threw the package to the ground with a bang and a flourish, like what a magician – or ninja, again, if this were a highly rated Anime. Tch, _not! _– does with a smoke screen pellet.

That was exactly what happened…of _course _it did, why wouldn't it…it would be ludicrous if _Sousuke Sagara_ didn't bomb or blow SOMETHING up!

Greenish-gray smog circled the room, ensnaring the helpless High School students in its filthy clutches, as Sousuke shot out the nearest window to clean air. Kaname coughed and sputtered, eyes tearing up. They flew out of the smoke-infested corridor, sounds of glass panes smashing and falling sharp shards could be heard over the screams and squeals of Males and Females alike.

Kaname didn't process the fact that they had jumped out a window, on the second story of a public building, until it was much too late. _Too late_, later. She finally managed a strangled cry – which she insisted on calling a scream – after he had landed lithely, like a black war-crazed cat. She could feel his muscles strain beneath her weight and the force of his glide down but had better, more important, things to think about. At the moment, anyway.

"Kaname, are you al—"A tremendous pain erupted in his scarred cheek, interrupting his inquisition. She _slapped_ him. _Why?_ "You…_baka_. How could you?" Sousuke stared at her blankly. "I do not follow." She was not making the rest of his day very easy. Kaname looked at him with ten different emotions portrayed on her face. "How…why? That was…completely uncalled for...you could have, I dunno, used ninja moves, or something…_just not that_!"

It dawned on Sousuke that she was talking about the grenade. She thought he _bombed_ them all! That hurt. Deeply. His brow furrowed with his inner emotional pain. Didn't she know he changed, if not a lot – in his standards, anyway- just a little. "It was merely just knock-out gas…a CS riot pellet. The personnel inside of the building shall wake up in," he checked his bland watch and spoke again. "…in T-minus 2 minutes. I am glad my reflexes permitted me to get you out and into the safety of the streets we are on now."

Something seemed to snap inside of Kaname's head because in the next second, she completely exploded in his face. "YOU ARE SUCH AN _IDIOT_! God, you haven't turned for the better _at all_. WHAT THE HELL, Sousuke…we're not in a goddamn _warzone_!" She would have gone on but lost her breath. She was far from losing her steam, though…

Sousuke's knees wobbled. He, clearly, was not expecting that. He slumped to the ground, staring up at the enraged girl, eyes wide in what could only be called as Terror. _Mao_ didn't even have this kind of a grasp on him…and she was_ Mao_!

Kaname glared ferociously down at him, hand twitching. She had _stupidly_ left her fan at home. She had gone red in the face. He knew what was to come and cringed at the obvious onslaught and blood he would shed. A little part of Kaname felt pity for him. That part wasn't nearly as big as the part that wanted to crush him to dust particles. That teensy part would not be able to save him from her wrath. He waited for it to come…hold on…any second now…hmmm…it didn't come.

The air still crackled with tension, though. It permeated through every pore of his body, like a slow-killing Russian poison seeping into his bloodstream. Her fury was palpable. By this time, Sousuke was sweating bullets, no pun intended. She straightened up, seeming much taller than she was, and growled, "You're not even worth my _Harisen_." That rang in Sousuke's ears with such finality, it hurt. She walked away, flipping her hair with a _humph_, leaving the poor clueless soldier all alone – and lost in thought.

He sat there for a few minutes, staring off into space. He prodded his chest, trying to get to the pain inside, soothe the aching feeling that was using his heart as a place of residence. It continued to ail. He began to stand, lost in his own realm; time didn't matter to him anymore. Sousuke ruffled his hair and began to aimlessly lope down the sidewalk. Sweat words were filling the building behind him as the students began to awaken.

He ended up going the path to his apartment building. He didn't know what to do: Go to Kaname's, don't. On one hand, if he went straight-away and voiced his apologies – to what, he didn't know – to her and get everything settled and good again…and then on the most likely other hand, he would get beaten and pummeled to a squishy pulp. He grimaced at the image painted in his head…he looked like a Sousuke orange juice blend with a hint of red, "_Juicy_" strawberry. Shivering, he decided to take the route to _his_ own house.

After he opened his door, he headed to his brown, plain, leather couch and just sat there, eyes glazed over. He was in a parallel dimension where nothing was real, and yet, _everything_ was. The only real, substantial thing he focused on was the scene that had just unfolded and was playing repeatedly in his mind. He kept going in and out of the trance, preferring the trance over reality. _How could this day have gotten so messed up!?_

He wanted to punch himself in the head for his idiocy. Instead he settled for more mental berating.

Whether consciously or sub-consciously, he began gliding lifelessly towards the bathing quarters, as he calls it. Wanting nothing more than to drown his sorrows in a hot, faithful shower.

* * *

_Meanwhile_…

A few minutes after she had left "Sergeant Dumbass", Kaname vowed to give him a little taste of payback. Thoughts and plan layouts swam in her head. By the time she realized where she was going…she was there. Taking out her spare key, she clicked it into place and turned. She cringed, waiting for a high-grade alarm system to ring or a trip wire of sorts, or maybe even a hound dog or two. When none came she stepped in. Placing her hands on her hips, she looked around. Wow, was it _plain_. She rubbed her hands together, expectantly.

She tried to delve once more into her highly-enhanced thoughts, only to be confronted with a short-circuited fritz. So. This was as far as her "brilliant" master plan of an idea took her. Ah, the trials and tribulations of being Whispered Kaname Chidori. _Great, just great. What am I supposed to do _now_?!_ _I— _Her thoughts were interrupted when the door clicked open once again. All coherent thoughts scattered in her brain as she realized who the only other person to enter would be. She _eep_ed and ducked into a nearby corridor, sliding along the wall, ninja-like.

She watched as Sousuke plopped down onto his…you guessed it, plain sofa. He was just dazing…weird…when does he _ever_ do anything like daze? That's something a _normal_ person would do. His brow was furrowed, as if in deep thought, and there was a frown on his face – which deepened with each passing second.

Her tense form relaxed some as more time went by. _What was he doing?_ He sighed, stood up and headed to another room. It took all of her willpower to override her massive curiosity, and not follow him. A couple minutes later, the splashing sound of water coming down a faucet could be heard. Kaname tensed again. Sousuke sighed and the raking sound of a shower curtain being pulled away from the rod reached Kaname's ears, louder than normal.

His feet splashed against the puddles forming in the shower. He thought a warm shower could clear his scatter-brained and befuddled head. His mind was so fogged – although he could use another "vocabulary" term to replace the preceding one – up that he didn't even close the door, a safety precaution he frequently used.

He stood under the shower head, letting the nice, warm water soak his body – from ragged hair to his size 10 feet. The water droplets cascaded down his muscular chest, arms and legs. They careened down, releasing his tightened muscles – easing hot, welcome heat into his pores. His arms were limp at his sides; head tilted back and up, letting the water pool over his face.

Kaname carefully crept along the wall and _slowly_ poked her head in, just out of curiosity, of course. Her eyes caught sight of his silhouetted form. She went slack-jawed for a moment and then clasped a sweaty hand to her mouth, shooting her head back behind the wall. She had just practically seen him _naked_!!! She was in _his_ house and _he_ was in the friggin' shower. Kaname froze; a devious thought had just crossed her mind. _Aha!_ She thought. _I have figured out the perfect plan to get back at you, Sousuke._ She cupped her hands and rubbed them together, mischievously. _Payback is best served_ **cold**.

Sousuke, feeling slightly better, reached for his shampoo – military brand, of course. He lathered his mess-of-a hair, massaging his scalp, and let the water wash it all away. Occasionally, his thoughts would stray back to an unwanted subject, in the form of a blue-haired, high school: Kaname. He scratched his soaked, scar-riddled back and thought, _What is she doing, now?_

The poor, military-trained operative would soon find out.

Kaname – ironically, enough- army-crawled along the cold tiles of Sousuke's bathroom. When she got to her assigned destination, she cautiously crept to a crouching position. She looked up; checking to make sure the dark form was facing away. She pulled the curtain apart, just enough to fit her slender hand through. She turned her head opposite of the soldier's body – she had her pride, thank you. Once her hand hit cool metal, she cranked her hand to the right. She scrambled across the floor, as quickly as she could to the door-way. She stood there, watching her destruction unfold.

Sousuke didn't notice until the water gradually began to cool. He looked – natural reflex – behind him and turned to quickly face the shower knobs. Before he could react any further, _ice_ cold water splashed him. "_GYAAAAGH_!" Kaname stood, framed against the door, chuckling madly to herself. This was a guilty pleasure she was coming _really_ enjoy.

He hit the wall, thrashing about so much; he got entangled with the curtain. He writhed so much he almost slipped on a lone soap bar, it had fallen during his collision with the wall. Kaname was bent over on her knees, doubled over in laughter. She couldn't contain it anymore, when he yelped and slipped on the accursed soap bar. Hey, at least it wasn't a…_rubber duck_. He bellowed something unintelligible – or in another language – as Kaname rolled out, literally laughing her ass off.

He, thankfully, hadn't seen her so she could perfectly carry out Part Dos of her elaborate plan. Her back hit something sturdy as she continued to roll around, gleeful at her success. She tried to stop, gasping for breath as she did so, feeling her tightened, cramped stomach muscles.

Abruptly, the shower faucet turned off with a squeak, harshly from the sound of things, and she tried to muffle her giggles. Once composed – or as best she could manage – she went and promptly sat on the "sturdy-thing" – or formally known as, the couch. She sat, arms drooping over the back of the couch. A few, presumable curses, grunts/grumbles and a door click later, Sousuke emerged from the bathroom. He looked like he would froth at the mouth if he could.

His hair was still sopping, letting little water droplets run down his very disgruntled looking face. He had a towel loosely wrapped around the lower – and I mean _very lower_ – part of his waist. That put a gaping hole in her cocky ego, as she took a _good_ look at the, now, _extremely_ sexy Sergeant. He was slightly shivering, not even looking in the general direction of the gaping-fish look-alike, Kaname.

She stared as a single drop went down from the back of his neck, down his ripped chest, and dissolved into his pure-white towel. He shook his head out, like a dog, and began to walk into – what she thought was – his room. Kaname shifted and his built-in military training kicked and tuned in to the figure on his couch – _His military senses are "tingling"_. He stood, dumb-founded. Wasn't this just the girl he was thinking about? What was she doing here…

"K-K-Kaname?" His towel dropped from his surprised, slacked-wrist grasp. She felt a flash of heat, flame her cheeks. Her vision tunneled until the darkness, of the power of _faint_ing, consumed her into blackness. She was so shocked that her mind couldn't even have begun to process the sheer fact, and luck, he was wearing Camo shorts, underneath. "Kaname!" he rushed to her limp form. Flustered, he ran around for a few minutes and then figured he should take her someplace better. He blushed as he held her body close, his semi-wet body soaking into hers. The beginnings of dark splotches covered her side.

He had no _real_ place to put her that was suitable…his bed? _URK_! This was definitely _not_ his area of expertise. Nonetheless, he gently placed her on his bed, taking care to tuck the covers around her still form, and headed out for the door.

He rested his head on the frame and looked back at her. The whole picture of _her_ being in _his_ bed sent pleasant thoughts and shivers down his, vertebrae by vertebrae, and mind. He smirked, shook his head and left. Looks like he had found the ninja-esque creator of his shower-time demise. He was still cold, so he went to the kitchen and decided to go the old Japanese traditional route: making tea to warm him down to the bone.

He poured two cups, just to be on the safe side. He hoped she would wake up in time for the two to share a cup of hot Earl Grey. Even he – he who has been in many upon many fainting spells and comas – knew that she would be down for the count at least an hour or so. _This is what a husband would do, isn't it?_ He randomly thought. His eyes were unreadable as he smiled to himself, his reflective image shimmering in the browinsh tea below him. Over in the other room, Kaname began to stir.

She felt comfortable, wrapped in a blanket…wait…blanket? She began to sit up when a wave of memories hit her. They crashed and collided with one another, as they repeated the day's events in high-definition quality in her mind. _Ah…wow…_She thought. She looked over and saw a cup of brown-grey tea, sitting on the bedside counter. Her heart warmed up and the butterflies were let loose, fluttering around in her abdomen. She sat there for a minute but the cold on her back wished to be heated. She settled back, deeper into the bed, and snuggled into the warmth her loyal friend had graciously given her.

* * *

_Boop_. "…Sagara, here." Sousuke's voice rang out clear from the living room area. He voiced his daily journal to the Corporals on the other end, leaving out the minor mishaps, on Merida Island Base – Mithril Headquarters. He continued to talk but Kaname droned it out and fell asleep, lulled by his soothing voice. Once connection ended, Sousuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair. A blue-haired girl clouded his vision as he got up and went to his room. He stretched his stiff arms on the way there.

As he got to the door he stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the young woman occupying his bed. He just stood there gazing at her, light pooling in and around her still form. His body acted on its own and before he knew it, he was lying, on top of the covers, next to her. He internally gasped at what he just did, knowing full-well that he couldn't – and wouldn't – help it. He rested on his side, propped up by one elbow, chin resting in hand. He noticed she had regained consciousness and was just snoozing now…_good_. She needed to take a break from all of this Whispered stuff. He felt a deep sympathy for her. Sousuke had known war all his life, but Kaname didn't. Not until recently when he stepped into her life. He knew she didn't blame him, it really _wasn't _his fault…but that didn't matter to him…all that did was that she regain a normal life. Oh, yes. And that he remain, faithfully by her side!

She was breathing deeply, in from her nose and out through her mouth – like a sort of meditation, and a strange urge came over him. He stretched his hand out, catching a glorious lock of silken hair, and twirling it around his fore-finger and thumb. It was soft and smooth to the touch and Sousuke felt bad for the _other_ men that didn't get a chance to revel in the feel. Hah, sucks to them! He was content, as was she. Wasn't that all that really mattered? That and her safety, of course.

Kaname, still feeling slightly devious and cunning for tricking the over-protective soldier, was merely _feigning _sleep. And he, with all of his obtusely dense glory, was buying it. No sweeter victory, on her part. He relaxed further, thinking he was safe from any outside forces. Just him…and his girl.

By the time a few more relaxed, blissful minutes rolled by he was utterly relaxed, lying right next to her on his back, elbows out, hands clamped behind his head, feeling warmth radiate off his protectee. Kaname, who still played as if she were asleep, turned and snuggled into the ever wary, Sousuke's, chest. His body went rigid in a mille-second flat as giant, wet sweat beads dewed on his forehead. A pink blush crept over his features.

Just for kicks – and the pleasure of seeing/feeling his expression – she brought her blanketed leg around his still below-Zero freezing body. He, if possible, stiffened even more, becoming more stone-like than man. He then shuddered and tried to pry himself away, knowing full well that escape was futile. He broke out into a heavier, and colder, sweat. This was one field he would always fail at: Trying to work with the opposite sex. This was as close to a dangerous mission as he'd like to handle, without the _proper_ equipment.

She was, oh-so, tempted to roll _completely_ on him, but pitied the drenched-in-perspiration, terrorism-stopping NCO, and refrained with much difficulty. She scooted away, still keeping her close proximity, and wanting nothing more than to be held in the arms of Sousuke, once again. That would make her da- Night. Here, he had the _perfect_ opportunity to do so but stupidly didn't seize the chance…_yet…_

Later in the night, when the two had both _seriously_ fallen asleep, a solid warmth surrounded Kaname. It was much to heavy to be a blanket – not even an afghan. The thing stirred, shaking its shaggy hair so that it hung in her face. …_hair_? She reached a hand over to the bedside table to turn on the light. First, she saw his military-issued alarm clock – reading 0230 hours – and then click the light on.

There, sleeping soundly was the ever-adorable Sousuke. His face was burrowed into her neck, his body draped over hers in what was to be presumed as a protectively possessive gesture. Kaname, surprisingly, knew him well enough to know that it was actually a _loving_ one. Or as close to it as he could come. She welcomed his warmth and this _new_ Sousuke – whom she had _seriously_ fallen hard for – with a light kiss. There was no pun intended with the previous _afghan_ statement. Just to clarify.

His eyes remained closed but a small smile, though trying hard not to, tugged and played on his lips. _Oh, who is pretending to sleep, _now_?_ She thought. He was still on her – which was fine by her – so he was considered game and, honey, it was _Open Season._

She kissed his scar and nose, like you would a little child, and hoped to save the best for last. Alas, he beat her to it, though.

He quickly "woke up", eyes opened in half a blink, and pecked her lips, rolling off to curl at the edge of his bed. He tried to muffle his sniggering, to no avail. They both shared the same thought: _That was my first kiss!_ Nor would it be there last. _So. That's how you want to play it, is it, Mr. Sagara? _She thought coyly, a mischeivous smile snaking to her plump, kissable lips. _Fine. By. Me._

She ran her fingers over his…_bare_ back, running them along each and every vertabrae, and then rolled to turn the light off, feet entagled with the discarded blanket. That added quite well to the hot static, which had suddenly filled the room, between them – making this room their own dark, secluded pleasure.

END


End file.
